8 Unique Ways to Generate Content Ideas for Your Calendar

Author: Team WH

Published On: 13-09-22

Last Updated on: 21-11-23

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Ideas are crucial to content marketing. In fact, they form the backbone of any content format, whether TikToks, reels, videos, or blogs. Besides, unique content ideas combined with consistent output result in successful marketing.

HubSpot reports that the top three roles marketing leaders will prioritize hiring are content creators, marketing managers, and content strategists. This is a direct result of the challenge that is developing a content calendar.

Coming up with ideas that resonate with the audience can prove challenging even for the most seasoned content marketer. So can making sure that it stays relevant. And with the content creation market saturated, creating original content is becoming increasingly difficult.

Hence, this blog post lists 8 ways to source content, while ensuring that the content is pertinent to your niche.

1.Talk to the industry experts

Subject matter experts and leaders often hold a treasure trove of content ideas given their experience in the field and regular interaction with the target audience. But what’s the best way to reach out to these industry experts? Here a few simple ways to do it:

Search Google, Twitter, and Facebook groups

Keyword search has made networking so much easier—content managers and strategists should make the best use of it to connect with SMEs. Whether it’s Google, Twitter, or even Facebook, searching the right keywords for a specific industry will give you the names of the most prominent leaders in your industry.

Attend conferences and seminars

Conferences and seminars require a hefty budget and weeks of planning. Nevertheless, they are the best way to directly get in touch with industry leaders and have constructive interactions. Not just that, seminars are also a chance to explore a niche in-depth and find inspiration for new content.

Look up industry-related podcasts

When we say podcast, what we really mean is podcast guests. Many industry specialists appear on podcasts to share their expertise on a topic or theme. Search for “keyword” podcasts to identify sites that have relevant podcasts. Check out the guests they’re featuring that month and reach out to them directly.

2.Create customer feedback loops

We often hear people in team settings repeat the statement—”communication is key.” This holds true even if you’re a one-person venture. Only in this case, the team is you and the audience.

Directly asking the audience what they want ensures that you are on the same page as them when creating content. Moreover, it is easy. Roll out a survey on subscribers’ emails or insert one at the end of an existing post.

An excellent example is the South Korean entertainment conglomerate Hybe. They regularly roll out surveys to scour for variety show ideas with their artists.

In fact, one of their recent undertakings was a promotional event leading up to the release of K-pop giant BTS’ anthology album “PROOF.” Hybe decided to hold an Instagram stories survey and asked fans to vote for their top 3 tracks. The result was a charming remix of three of the group’s biggest hits produced by musician Benny Blanco.

Questions to ask your audience

Here’s a handy list of questions to collect your audience’s inputs for your content strategy:

1. What topics would you like to read/see more of?
2. Have you been able to find all the information on this page you were looking for?
3. What are three areas of struggle for you within the niche?
4. What other areas would you like us to cover?

Asking even one of these questions to a small chunk of visitors can result in a treasure trove of content ideas.

3.Step into the audience’s shoes

People want to hear from experts on topics they are unfamiliar with. Stepping into your audience’s shoes helps you write from their point of view.

Adopting the audience’s perspective is an effortless way to generate content—and it saves resources too. What’s more, once you have the topics, you can modify them to suit your niche or generate prospective topics for the future.

Here are some of the more common ways to generate content from an audience perspective:

Explore Quora and Reddit threads

Check through Reddit and Quora discussions. Look at what individuals in your industry are saying. Look for topics that have received considerable attention. Those are the topics to write about in your content.

Go into competitor website comments

A competitor website is a goldmine of content. Examine the FAQ and comment sections of a competitor’s website. Look at the queries they receive all the time. Respond to them with appropriate content.

Read user reviews

User feedback and comments are brilliant sources of content ideas. Further, clients’ queries and feedback through email can give birth to excellent ideas. Further, they tend to do well since it directly answers the audience’s question.

Quick tip: Take note of the terminology your consumers use. When addressing the industry and product, always adopt their language.

4.Revisit your own topic list of content topics

When brainstorming new content ideas, list down every single idea. Maintain a swipe file—a collection of inspiring content. Simply revisit this file when you’re in a creative block and in need of ideas.

You can modify these content topics according to your niche or what’s trending. This makes it relevant.

Moreover, repurpose older content from time to time. Update content to include new research or ideas. This holds you off from developing fresh ideas, and it allows your audience to trust your content. They are assured that the information that they gain from your website is authentic and relevant.

5.Create a periodical series

Developing a successful concept into a regular series can become a catalyst for even more content. After all, it is far easier to conceive a topic to fit into an already existing format than it is to generate a new idea every week.

Furthermore, audiences appreciate a little consistency. This explains why serials and weekly broadcasts are so popular! It also establishes a failproof content format that you can alter based on the season it’s being used during.

A.T.E.’s “Tell Us What You Made” series or “Day in the Life” Series on YouTube are shining examples. Not only that, almost all the content that A.T.E. ever created has evolved into a successful series. After all, why work too hard when you can work smart?

6.Use social media the right way

You can capitalize on your audience’s curiosity with an ask-me-anything (AMA) live broadcast session. Limit the AMA to a specific theme, such as your most recent undertakings or inquiries about your specialization.

Some individuals prefer to do a live broadcast on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, responding to questions from the comments section. Others like creating a series of stories with the Question stickers.

Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, better known as AOC, was one of the few politicians who realized the influence of an AMA session. So, the representative made it a point to engage with the public online to spread the word on the importance of vaccines during the first phase of CoVID-19 vaccine rollouts.

Later in the term, the entire US government put out bite-sized information on the same initiative to encourage more people to get inoculated. The result? More people knew about the advantages of vaccination and were encouraged to take the vaccination drive more seriously.

The best part is that, while some of these responses may be short, you may discover hidden gems that demand further explanation. Choose one of these topics and utilize it to produce content for your website or YouTube videos. You now have engagement on social media and an additional platform!

Additionally, consider following relevant hashtags, pages, and industry influencers. Further, take note of the people your followers follow and follow them to find content ideas that combine the best of both worlds.

Also, take inspiration from existing industry influencers on the platform and create quality content pertinent to those themes.

7. Explore tags and searches

When you search a keyword on google images, a range of related keywords are displayed on top. These are known as image tags on Google. These tags are extremely closely related to the searched keyword. Hence, they are the perfect topic to explore in your forthcoming pieces of content.

Further, the number of ideas is unending when you start searching tags.

Another great way to find content ideas is to look at related searches on Google. The best part of this is that it requires practically no effort. They show up as soon as you start typing your keyword into the search bar.

For example, when you start entering the keyword “google image tags,” the searches “google image finder” and “google image product tags” also show up. These topics are relevant, but they are also incredibly unique.

8. Use Topic Generation Tools

At the peak of writer’s block, content idea generators are a Godsend since it requires little effort to use. They are free, easy to use, and help generate some lovely topics.

Below is a list of 5 of the best topic generation tools available today.

Generator by HubSpot

This tool, known as one of the most straightforward content generating tools, offers users five unique ideas for a given collection of three keywords or phrases, particularly nouns. You can enter up to three words, and the application will generate fresh ideas based on them.

Buzzsumo

A good tool is one that has several functionalities built into it, and Buzzsumo strives precisely for that. In addition to being an excellent topic generator, the tool also offers analytical insight. Notably, the following:

• Social engagements and shares
• Important sharers
• Crucial Backlinks
• Top trending content

Exploding Topics Tool

The unique thing about exploding tools is that it forecasts trends before they become trends. The tool analyzes millions of searches, discussions, and mentions to generate the perfect content ideas.

Portent’s content idea generator

The Portent’s Content idea generator helps users come up with memorable titles for their content. Enter your topic, and the blog idea Generator will provide a creative title as well as all the guidance you need to spice it up. Plus, it is completely free!

Ubersuggest

Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest offers some of the best content ideas. In fact, it also lists down all of the articles that have been written on a particular keyword.

Further, it displays metrics such as,

• Social Shares
• Estimated visits
• Backlinks

This allows the creator to make better-informed decisions about the content they will be creating.

Key takeaways

While writer’s block is inevitable, coming up with new content ideas is not as tricky as it’s made out to be.

Ideas and resources to generate them are both available aplenty. Learn how to use them to your advantage. Pry through the comments and reviews or consider using a topic-generating tool.

Remember that no way is incorrect as long as it helps you conceive fascinating topics.

Additionally, generate lots of ideas at once and put them to use in moments like these. And if you do run into a snag, just follow this collection of tips and tricks, and you’ll get there!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to improve content marketing?

Improving content marketing involves understanding your audience deeply, creating high-quality, relevant content, and utilizing various formats like blogs, videos, and infographics. Consistently analyze performance data to refine strategies. Also, integrate SEO best practices and ensure your content is engaging, valuable, and shared across the right channels.

2. How to find content ideas for social media?

To find content ideas for social media, monitor trends, and audience interests using social listening tools. Engage with your community to understand their preferences. Also, leverage holidays, current events, and user-generated content. Analyzing competitors’ successful posts can provide additional inspiration.

3. How many content pillars should you have?

Typically, having 3-5 content pillars works well. These pillars should encompass the core themes or topics relevant to your brand and audience. They provide a focused framework for content creation, ensuring consistency and relevance while allowing enough diversity to engage different segments of your audience.

4. How to generate content ideas with topic research?

Generate content ideas through topic research by using tools like Google Trends, Answer the Public, or keyword research tools. Look for frequently asked questions, trending topics, and gaps in existing content. Also, industry forums and competitor content analysis can reveal untapped areas for content creation.

5. What should I post on Instagram?

Post what is relevant to your field. Always. But also stay ahead of the curve by posting about what’s trending. If it is an audience on Instagram, the chances are that they are interested in short-form content that is easily digestible. Consider posting stories and reels and the occasional infographic slide to offer them fun, easy, and informational content.

However, if you do struggle to come up with ideas, try reaching out to a content marketing agency like WrittenlyHub. This way, you don’t have to worry about creating content to post since the professionals will do it for you!